Chapter 10

Contrary to popular perception,=E2=80=9D marijuana=E2=80=9D is not a =
phenomenon rooted in the=20
1960s.

Cannabis hemp is part of our global heritage and was the backbone of =
our most=20
stable and longest surviving cultures.

Recent psycho-pharmacological studies have discovered that THC has =
its own=20
unique receptor sites in the brain, indicating man and marijuana have a=20
pre-cultural relationship=E2=80=94indeed, human culture could very well =
prove to be the=20
blossom of our symbiosis with cannabis. (See Appendix)

What=E2=80=99s in a =
Name? (Part 2)

The following is derived from the 1913 USDA Agriculture Yearbook =
section on=20
hemp by Lyster Dewey, p. 283-293:

The name =E2=80=9Chemp,=E2=80=9D from the Old English =
=E2=80=9Chanf,=E2=80=9D came into use in Middle English=20
by 1000 A.D. and still belongs primarily to cannabis sativa. It is also =
used to=20
designate the long fiber obtained from that plant: the earliest, =
best-known and,=20
until recently, the most widely used textile fiber on Earth.

Ancient and modern historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, and=20
philologists cite physical evidence (artifacts, relics, textiles, =
cuneiform,=20
languages, etc.) indicating that cannabis is one of mankind=E2=80=99s =
oldest cultivated=20
crops. The weaving of hemp fiber as an industry began 10,000 years ago, =
at=20
approximately the same time as pottery-making and prior to metal =
working.*

*Columbia History of the World, Harper & Row, New York, 1981.

By the 27th century B.C., the Chinese cultivated =E2=80=9CMa=E2=80=9D =
(cannabis hemp) for=20
fiber, medicine and herbal use. Approximately 3,700 years later (circa =
1000=20
A.D.), China called cannabis =E2=80=9CTai-Ma,=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cgreat =
hemp,=E2=80=9D to differentiate it from=20
the minor fiber plants, which were now grouped under the generic fiber =
term=20
=E2=80=9CMa.=E2=80=9D Their pictogram for true or great hemp is a large =
=E2=80=9Cman,=E2=80=9D indicating the=20
strong relationship between man and hemp.

From at least the 27th century B.C. until this century, cannabis was=20
incorporated into virtually all cultures of the Middle East, Asia Minor, =
India,=20
China, Japan, Europe and Africa.

Between 2300 B.C. & 1000=20
B.C.:

Nomadic tribes, probably from central Asia and Persia (Iran and =
Iraq),=20
referred to in legend as =E2=80=9CAryans,=E2=80=9D invaded and overran =
virtually the entire=20
Mediterranean and Middle East and spread out over the Caucasus and west =
into=20
Europe.

In the course of these movements and invasions, the nomads introduced =
cannabis and its various uses north and west through Greece, Europe, the =
Middle=20
East, to Egypt and Africa, as well as south and east over the Himalayas =
to=20
India.

Hemp was incorporated into the cultures of the Middle East and India =
for its=20
vast food, oil, fiber, medicinal and drug uses. Not only was hemp a =
staple of=20
everyday life; hemp medicines and drugs were a ritual link to the =
gods.*

*Generally, those who grew and/or used hemp for everyday industrial =
uses did=20
not know and were not taught (by religious law/threat/taboo) that their=20
priest/shaman/witch doctor/etc. used different extractions from =
different parts=20
of the exact same plant for sacrament, medicine, unguent, and as a =
commune with=20
the gods.

Hemp & the =
Scythe

Cannabis was undoubtedly used by the Scythians for many reasons. For =
example,=20
the ancient Scythians grew hemp and harvested it with a hand reaper that =
we=20
still call a scythe. Cannabis inhalation by the Scythians in funeral =
rituals was=20
recorded by the Greek historian Herodotus in the early 5th century B.C. =
The=20
nomadic Scythians introduced the custom to other races such as the=20
Thracians.

(Emboden, W.A., Jr., Flesh of the Gods, Praeger Press, NY, 1974.)

From at least the 27th century B.C. up until this =
century,=20
cannabis was incorporated into virtually all the cultures of the Middle =
East,=20
Asia Minor, India, China, Japan, Europe, and Africa for its superior =
fiber,=20
medicines, oils, food and for its meditative, euphoric, and relaxational =
uses.

Thread of Civilization

Hemp was one of our ancestors=E2=80=99 most important overall =
industries, along with=20
tool making, animal husbandry and farming.

Hemp to Enforce the =
Law

The hemp plant has had a curious relationship with the =
world=E2=80=99s legal codes=20
throughout the ages. As noted before, it has been illegal to grow hemp =
at=20
different times. But hemp has also played a direct role in law =
enforcement.

For example: The most serious punishment/rehabilitation meted out in =
many=20
African tribes for capital crimes was forcing the transgressor to smoke =
or=20
consume massive amounts of dagga (cannabis) non-stop for hours on end in =
a=20
small, enclosed hut until he passes out literally unconscious from =
inhaling the=20
fumes. The equivalent of a year or two=E2=80=99s supply for a heavy =
American smoker is=20
consumed in just an hour or so. Does it work? African users say the rate =
of=20
repeat criminal offenses after dagga treatment is virtually =
non-existent.

European and American cultures used hemp to enforce their laws in a =
more=20
terminal form of capital punishment: the hangman=E2=80=99s noose* of =
hempen rope.

The division of information about this sacred herb and its industrial =
hemp=20
uses were strictly maintained by the priests for thousands of years, up =
until=20
the last few centuries. Those outside the priestly class who possessed =
drug=20
knowledge were considered (by the priests, of course) to be=20
witches/soothsayers/outlaws and the ilk, and were often condemned to =
death.

The Mystic =
Philosophers

Cannabis legend and consumption are fundamental aspects of many of =
the=20
world=E2=80=99s great religions. For example:

SHINTOISM (Japan) =E2=80=93 Cannabis was used for the binding =
together of married=20
couples, to drive away evil spirits, and was thought to create laughter =
and=20
happiness in marriage.

HINDUISM (India) =E2=80=93 The God Shiva is said =E2=80=9Cto have =
brought cannabis from the=20
Himalayas for human enjoyment and enlightenment.=E2=80=9D The Sadhu =
Priests travel=20
throughout India and the world sharing =E2=80=9Cchillum=E2=80=9D pipes =
filled with cannabis,=20
sometimes blended with other substances. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna =
states,=20
=E2=80=9CI am the healing herb=E2=80=9D (Ch.9:16), while the =
Bhagarat-Purana Fifth Canto=20
describes hashish in explicitly sexual terms.

BUDDHISM (Tibet, India and China) =E2=80=93 from the 5th century B.C. =
on ritually=20
used cannabis; initiation rites and mystical experiences were (are ) =
common in=20
many Chinese Buddhist Sects. Some Tibetan Buddhists and lamas (priests) =
consider=20
cannabis their most holy plant. Many Buddhist traditions, writings, and =
beliefs=20
indicate that =E2=80=9CSiddhartha=E2=80=9D (the Buddha) himself, used =
and ate nothing but hemp=20
and its seeds for six years prior to announcing (discovering) his truths =
and=20
becoming the Buddha (Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path).

Regarding the ZOROASTRIANS or Magi (Persia, circa 8th to 7th =
Centuries B.C.=20
to 3rd to 4th Centuries A.D.), it is widely believed by many Christian =
scholars,=20
commentators, etc., that the three =E2=80=9CMagi=E2=80=9D or Wise Men =
who attended the birth of=20
Christ were cult references to the Zoroastrians. The Zoroastrian =
religion was=20
based (at least on the surface) on the entire cannabis plant, the chief=20
religious sacrament of its priest class, and its most important =
medicine, (e.g.,=20
obstetrics, incense rites, anointing and christening oils), as well as =
lighting=20
or fire oils in their secular world. The word =E2=80=9Cmagic=E2=80=9D is =
generally considered=20
derived from the Zoroastrians =E2=80=9CMagi.=E2=80=9D

THERAPUTEA (Egypt), from whom we get the term =
=E2=80=9Ctherapeutic.=E2=80=9D Both are=20
believed by some scholars to be disciples of, or in a brotherhood with, =
the=20
priests/magicians of the Zoroastrians.

EARLY JEWS As part of their holy Friday night services in the Temple =
of=20
Solomon, 60-80,000men ritually passed around and inhaled 20,000 incense =
burners=20
filled with kanabosom (cannabis), before returning home for the largest =
meal of=20
the week (munchies?).

SUFIS OF ISLAM (Middle East) =E2=80=93 Moslem =
=E2=80=9Cmystical=E2=80=9D priests who have taught,=20
used and extolled cannabis for divine revelation, insight and oneness =
with=20
Allah, for at least the last 1,000 years. Many Moslem and world scholars =
believe=20
the mysticism of the Sufi Priests was actually that of the Zoroastrians =
who=20
survived Moslem conquests of the 7th and 8th Centuries A.D. and =
subsequent=20
conversion (change your religion and give up liquor or be beheaded).

COPTIC CHRISTIAN (Egypt/Ethiopia) =E2=80=93 Some sects believe the =
sacred =E2=80=9Dgreen herb=20
of the field=E2=80=9D in the Bible (=E2=80=9CI will raise up for them a =
plant of renown, and=20
they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the =
shame=20
of the heathen any more=E2=80=9D Ezekiel 34:29) and the Biblical secret =
incenses, sweet=20
incenses and anointing oils to be cannabis.

The BANTUS (Africa) =E2=80=93 had secret Dagga Cults,* societies =
which restricted=20
cannabis use to the ruling men. The Pygmies, Zulus and Hottentots all =
found it=20
an indispensable medication for cramps, epilepsy and gout, and as a =
religious=20
sacrament.

*These =E2=80=9CDagga=E2=80=9D cults believed Holy Cannabis was =
brought to Earth by the Gods,=20
in particular from the =E2=80=9CTwo Dog Star=E2=80=9D system that we =
call Sirius A and B.=20
=E2=80=9CDagga=E2=80=9D literally means =E2=80=9Ccannabis.=E2=80=9D =
Interestingly, the surviving Indo-European=20
word for the plant can also be read as =E2=80=9Ccanna,=E2=80=9D =
=E2=80=9Creed=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cbi,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Ctwo,=E2=80=9D =
as well=20
as =E2=80=9Ccanna,=E2=80=9D as in canine; and =E2=80=9Cbis,=E2=80=9D =
meaning two (bi) =E2=80=9CTwo Dogs.=E2=80=9D

The RASTAFARIANS (Jamaica and elsewhere) are a contemporary religious =
sect=20
that uses =E2=80=9Cganja=E2=80=9D as its sacred sacrament to communicate =
with God (Jah).

=E2=80=9CNatural =
Mind=E2=80=9C

United States government-funded studies at St. Louis Medical =
University in=20
1989 and the U.S. government=E2=80=99s National Institute of Mental =
Health in 1990 moved=20
cannabis research into a new realm by confirming that the human brain =
has=20
receptor sites for THC and its natural cannabis cousins to which no =
other=20
compounds known thus far will bind.

In order for a chemical to affect the brain it must bind to a =
receptor site=20
capable of receiving it.

One reason cannabis is so safe to use is that it does not affect any =
of the=20
involuntary muscles of breathing and life support. Rather, it affects =
its own=20
specific receptor cites for motion (movement strategy) and memory =
(mental=20
strategies).

On the molecular level, THC fits into receptor sites in the upper =
brain that=20
seem to be uniquely designed to accommodate THC. This points to an =
ancient=20
symbiosis between the plant and people.

Perhaps these neuronal pathways are the product of a pre-cultural=20
relationship between humans and cannabis. Carl Sagan proposes evidence =
using the=20
Bushmen of Africa to show hemp to have been the first plant cultivated =
by=20
humanity dating to when he was a hunter-gatherer. Some scientist assume =
that=20
these receptor sites did not evolve for the purpose of getting high: =
=E2=80=9CThere must=20
be some kind of neuronal pathway in the brain that developed, whether =
there were=20
cannabis plants or not,=E2=80=9D speculated mystified St. Louis =
University pharmacology=20
professor Allyn Howlett in 1989.

But, maybe not. In his book Intoxication: Life in Pursuit of =
Artificial=20
Paradise, Dr. Ronald K. Siegel, psycho-pharmacologist at UCLA indicates =
the=20
motivation to achieve altered states of consciousness or moods is a =
fourth drive=20
akin to hunger, thirst, and sex. And humans aren=E2=80=99t the only ones =
to get high.=20
Siegel recorded numerous observations of animal intentionally getting=20
intoxicated during his experiments.

Cannabis hemp is part of our cultural, spiritual, and physiological =
heritage,=20
and was the backbone of our most stable and long surviving cultures. So, =
if you=20
want to know the long term effects of marijuana use look in the =
mirror!

Cloaked in Secrecy

The dawn or basis of religious beliefs in all races and peoples =
=E2=80=93 Japanese,=20
Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Persian, Babylonian, Greek, Doric, Germanic =
and other=20
European tribes, as well as African and North, South and Central =
American tribes=20
arose as a result of accidental discoveries.

Understanding these drug-induced experiences and medications =
eventually=20
became the most wondrous, desirable and necessary spiritual knowledge =
for each=20
tribe. Healing! From which extraction? At what dose?

Holding this mystical tribal knowledge for future generations was a =
priceless=20
task. To know which plants induced which experiences, at what levels and =
mixtures meant power for the bearer of such wisdom!

Thus, this =E2=80=9Csacred store=E2=80=9D of knowledge was jealously =
guarded by the herbal=20
doctor/priest, and cryptically encoded in oral and written traditions =
and myths.=20
Plants with psychoactive powers were imbued with human or animal =
attributes, for=20
example, the Amanita Muscaria mushroom ring was represented by =
faeries.

To keep their political power, the priests, witch doctors and =
medicine men=20
deliberately withheld these traditions from the =E2=80=9Ccommon=E2=80=9D =
tribal members (and all=20
other tribes). This also prevented the dangerous =E2=80=9Csin=E2=80=9D =
of accidental ingestion,=20
concoction, or experimentation by the children of the tribe; nor could =
captured=20
tribal members give up this sacred knowledge to their enemies.

These =E2=80=9Cold-time=E2=80=9D drug and out-of-body religions and =
rituals, dating back to=20
pre-history, were called =E2=80=9COriental Mystery Religions=E2=80=9D by =
the Romans from the=20
Caesars=E2=80=99 time on.

Judaic Line

Hemp was a major industry in biblical times. As in other cultures =
throughout=20
the Middle East, the Hebrew tradition of mysticism (e.g., Cabala) was =
aware of,=20
and entwined with, regional sects using natural intoxicants in their =
rituals. As=20
usual, they hid this knowledge behind rituals, symbols and secret codes =
to=20
protect natural sacraments like =E2=80=9Csacred mushrooms=E2=80=9D and =
mind-elevating herbs,=20
including cannabis.

Allegro, J.M.; Sacred Mushroom & the Cross, Doubleday Co., =
1970.

What Does the Bible =
Say?

Finding the encoded references to cannabis and other drugs is made =
more=20
difficult by the lack of botanical names, discrepancy in translations, =
use of=20
different =E2=80=9Cbooks=E2=80=9D by different denominations, =
commentaries added to original=20
texts, and periodic priestly purges of material considered =
inappropriate.

However, we find that the use of cannabis is never forbidden or even=20
discouraged in the Bible. Some passages directly refer to the goodness =
of using=20
herbs like cannabis and even go on to predict prohibition.

=E2=80=9CAnd the Earth brought forth grass and herb-yielding seed =
after its kind and=20
the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after its kind: and =
God saw=20
that it was good.=E2=80=9D Genesis: Chapt. 1: Verse 12 (King James =
Version of the Bible,=20
unless noted).

=E2=80=9CNot that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; That =
which cometh out of=20
the mouth defileth a man.=E2=80=9D Jesus, quoted: Matt. 15:11.

=E2=80=9CIn later times, some shall=E2=80=A6speak lies in =
hypocrisy=E2=80=A6commanding to abstain=20
from that which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of =
them which=20
believe and know the truth.=E2=80=9D Paul: 1 Tim. 4:1

Early Christianity

Historians, early artworks, Bibles, manuscripts, Dead Sea Scrolls, =
Gnostic=20
Gospels, letters from early church fathers, etc., indicate that for the =
first=20
300-400 years A.D., many early Christian sects were gentle and loving. =
They were=20
usually open, tolerant and unstructured: a poor man=E2=80=99s or =
slave=E2=80=99s religion.

Rome considered Christianity to be simply another bothersome Oriental =
Mystery=20
cult, like those of Mithra or Isis, then the most popular in the =
Empire.

The Holy Roman =
Empire

Faced with a crumbling empire, political corruption and a series of =
ruinous=20
wars with barbarians, the old Roman Empire hovered on the brink of =
disaster. The=20
religious contortions undertaken by the ruling body in Rome to maintain =
its=20
earthly power led the political leaders to crack down on healthy =
diversity in=20
the field of individual cults and religions.

To save itself politically, the formerly pantheistic (meaning =
tolerant of=20
different worships) government of the empire changed its policy.

Starting in 249 A.D., various emperors launched a string of bloody=20
persecutions, which included the troublesome Christians. By 306 A.D., it =
was=20
clear that this was not working. Emperor Constantine called off the =
executions=20
and began to patronize the Christian clergy, which promptly adopted a =
dogma=20
lifted from =E2=80=9CMithraism,=E2=80=9D among other religions: =
=E2=80=9CRoyal Blood by Birth,=E2=80=9D or the=20
=E2=80=9CDivine Right to Rule Other Humans.=E2=80=9D

The ambitious Constantine saw that while underground, the church had=20
developed into an intolerant, tightly-knit hierarchy; a well organized =
network=20
second in influence only to his own. By combining church and state, each =
was=20
able to double its power and seek out the crimes/sins of all its =
political=20
rivals and enemies with the full support/blessing of the other.

Columbia History of the World, Harper & Row, NY, 1981.

Constantine soon converted to Christianity and declared one =
mandatory,=20
monistic, state-empowered religion: the Roman Catholic Church (R.C.Ch.); =
literally, the Roman Universal Church (=E2=80=9Ccatholic=E2=80=9D is =
Latin for =E2=80=9Cuniversal=E2=80=9D).=20
This was now the absolute and official religion of the empire. In one =
sweep, all=20
secret societies were outlawed which might have threatened his (and =
Rome=E2=80=99s)=20
mandate to rule the known world, as they had for the previous 400 =
consecutive=20
years.

Church/State =
Aristocracy

After running from the Roman Empire=E2=80=99s police for almost 300 =
years, Christian=20
Orthodox priests had become their bosses. Starting in the 4th, 5th and =
6th=20
centuries A.D., pagan religions and all the different Christian sects, =
belief=20
systems, knowledge, gospels, etc., such as the Essenes, Gnostics and=20
Merovingians (Franks), were either incorporated into or edited out of =
official=20
doctrine and hierarchy.

Finally, in a series of councils, all contrary dogmas (e.g., that the =
Earth=20
was round, and the sun and stars were more than five to 17 miles away) =
were=20
summarily outlawed and driven underground during the Dark Ages, 400 =
-1000+=20
A.D.

By the early Middle Ages, at the beginning of the 11th century A.D.,=20
virtually all powers were placed in the hands of the Church and Pope; =
first by=20
Germanic conquerors, and later by Spanish and French kings and powerful =
Italian=20
merchants and nobles (the Borgias, Medicis and other megalomaniacs), =
probably to=20
protect their trade secrets, alliances and sources of wealth.

All European people were forced to adhere to the =
=E2=80=9CHoly=E2=80=9D Roman Empire policy:=20
Zero tolerance by a fundamentalist church/police-state with blind faith =
in one,=20
unquestioned version of how to worship God=E2=80=A6and the =
Pope=E2=80=99s infallibility.

Political rulers aided and abetted the Church in this fraud, as their =
power=20
now rested only on their new Christian dogma, the patriarchal =
=E2=80=9CDivine right=E2=80=9D to=20
rule.

They enacted laws with fantastically vicious punishments for even the =
slightest infraction or heresy.* Heretics were mercilessly sought out by =
fanatical, sadistic inquisitors using perverted forms of torture to =
extract=20
confessions and as punishment.

*Webster=E2=80=99s Dictionary defines =E2=80=9CHer-e-sy (her=C2=B4e =
se)=E2=80=9D as 1: a religious belief=20
that is opposed to church dogma. 2: any opinion (in philosophy, =
politics, etc.)=20
opposed to official or established views or doctrines. 3: the holding of =
any=20
such belief or opinion.

This system kept most of the Western world=E2=80=99s inhabitants in a =
state of=20
constant terror, not only for their own physical safety and freedom, but =
also=20
for their eternal spirit, with =E2=80=9CHell=E2=80=9D lurking mere =
inches below the surface for=20
those excommunicated by the church.

The Politics of =
Paper

The masses of people, =E2=80=9Cthe commons,=E2=80=9D were kept in =
check through a dual system=20
of fear and enforced ignorance. All learning except the most rudimentary =
was=20
controlled and strictly regulated by the priests.

The commons (about 95% of the people) were forbidden to learn to read =
or=20
write =E2=80=93 not even an alphabet =E2=80=93 and often were punished =
or put to death for doing=20
so.

The people were also forbidden to learn Latin, the language of the =
Bible.=20
This effectively enabled the few priests who could read to interpret the =
scriptures any way they pleased for about 1,200 years, until the =
Reformation in=20
Europe, circa 1600.

To prohibit knowledge, people were literally kept in the dark, =
without a=20
piece of paper to write on. The monasteries preserved and guarded =
hemp=E2=80=99s=20
secrets. They saw that cannabis held two threats to this policy of =
absolute=20
control: papermaking and lamp oil.

Something had to be done.

Cannabis Medicines =
Forbidden

While embracing wine as a sacrament, and tolerating beer and hard =
liquor, the=20
Inquisition outlawed cannabis ingestion in Spain in the 12th century, =
and France=20
in the 13th. Many other natural remedies were simultaneously banned. =
Anyone=20
using hemp to communicate, heal, etc. was labeled =
=E2=80=9Cwitch.=E2=80=9D

Saint Joan of Arc, for example, was accused in 1430-31 of using a =
variety of=20
herbal =E2=80=9Cwitch=E2=80=9D drugs, including cannabis, to hear =
voices.

Church Sanctioned Legal=20
Medicines

Virtually the only legal medical cures allowed the people of Western =
Europe=20
by the Roman Catholic Church Fathers at this time were:

2. Bleeding pints and even quarts of blood from all flu, pneumonia or =
fever=20
patients (victims) which was the most used treatment in Europe and =
America by=20
doctors until the beginning of the 1900s. It does not work! And did not =
work no=20
matter how much blood they took.

3. Praying to specific saints for a miraculous cure, e.g., St. =
Anthony for=20
ergotism (poisoning), St. Odilla for blindness, St. Benedict for poison=20
sufferers, and St. Vitus for comedians and epileptics.

4. Alcohol for a variety of problems.

In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII singled out cannabis healers and other=20
herbalists, proclaiming hemp an unholy sacrament of the second and third =
types=20
of Satanic mass. This persecution lasted for more than 150 years. =
Satanic=20
knowledge and masses, according to the Medieval Church, came in three =
types:

=E2=80=A2To summon or worship Satan;

=E2=80=A2To have Witch=E2=80=99s knowledge (e.g., herbalists or =
chemists) of making, using or=20
giving others any unguent or preparation including cannabis as medicine =
or as a=20
spiritual sacrament;

Because medieval priest bureaucrats thought they were sometimes =
laughed at,=20
ridiculed and scorned by those under their influence =E2=80=93 often by =
the most learned=20
monks, clerics and leading citizens =E2=80=93 ingesting cannabis was =
proclaimed=20
heretical and Satanic.

Contradictions

Despite this centuries-long attack by the most powerful political and =
religious force in Western civilization, hemp cultivation continued in =
Northern=20
Europe, Africa and Asia. While the church persecuted cannabis users in =
Europe,=20
the Spanish Conquistadors were busy planting hemp everywhere around the =
world to=20
provide sails, rope, oakum, clothes, etc.

Yet, Hemp Endured

The sadistic Ottoman Empire conquered Egypt and, in the 16th century =
A.D.,=20
tried to outlaw cannabis =E2=80=93 because Egyptian hemp growers along =
the Nile were=20
leading tax revolts. The Turks complained that cannabis use caused =
Egyptians to=20
laugh and be disrespectful to their Sultan and his representatives. In =
1868,=20
Egypt became the first modern(?) country to outlaw cannabis ingestion, =
followed=20
in 1910 by white South Africa to punish and stop the blacks practicing =
their=20
ancient Dagga cults and religions.

In Europe, hemp was widely used both industrially and medicinally, =
from the=20
Black Sea (Crimean) to the British Isles, especially in Eastern Europe. =
The=20
papal ban on cannabis medicines in the Holy Roman Empire in 1484 was =
quite=20
unenforceable north of the Alps, and to this day the Romanians, Czechs,=20
Hungarians and Russians dominate world cannabis agronomy.

In Ireland, already world famous for its cannabis linen, the Irish =
woman who=20
wanted to know whom she would eventually marry was advised to seek =
revelation=20
through cannabis.

Eventually, the hemp trades once again became so important to the =
empire=20
builders who followed (in the Age of Discovery/Reason, the 14th to 18th=20
centuries) that they were central to the intrigues and maneuverings of =
all the=20
world=E2=80=99s great powers.

The Age of =
Enlightenment

The 18th century ushered in a new era of human thought and =
civilization.=20
=E2=80=9CLife, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness!=E2=80=9D declared =
the colonists in America.=20
=E2=80=9CLiberty, Equality, Fraternity!=E2=80=9D replied their French =
cousins. The concepts of=20
modern constitutional government, which guaranteed human rights and =
separation=20
of church and state, were unified into a policy designed to protect =
citizens=20
from intolerant and arbitrary laws.

Mills asserted that this freedom of thought or of =
=E2=80=9Cmind=E2=80=9D is the basis for all=20
freedoms. Gentleman farmer Thomas Jefferson=E2=80=99s immortal words, =
=E2=80=9CI have sworn upon=20
the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over =
the mind=20
of man,=E2=80=9D are engraved into the marble of his Memorial in =
Washington D.C.

Abraham Lincoln was an avowed enemy of prohibition. His wife was =
prescribed=20
cannabis for her nerves after his assassination. Virtually every =
president from=20
the mid- 19th century up until prohibition routinely used cannabis =
medicines=20
(See Chapter 12: 19th century use).

Close acquaintances of John F. Kennedy, such as entertainers Morey =
Amsterdam=20
and Eddie Gordon* say the president used cannabis regularly to control =
his back=20
pain (before and during his term) and actually planned on legalizing =
=E2=80=9Cmarijuana=E2=80=9D=20
during his second term =E2=80=93 a plan cut short by his assassination =
in 1963.

*As reported directly to this author by Eddie Gordon, renowned =
harmonica=20
virtuoso, member of the Harmonicats, and the number-one harmonicist in =
the=20
world, who smoked with Kennedy and performed numerous times for him.

More recently, former President Gerald Ford=E2=80=99s son, Jack, and =
Jimmy Carter=E2=80=99s=20
son, Chip, admit to having smoked pot in the White House. George =
Bush=E2=80=99s Vice=20
President Dan Quayle* had a reputation for smoking grass and using drugs =
in=20
college. Ronald and even former First Lady Nancy =E2=80=9CJust Say =
No=E2=80=9D Reagan are=20
reported to have smoked pot in the California Governor=E2=80=99s =
mansion.

For cannabis-related knowledge, or hundreds of other =
=E2=80=9Csins=E2=80=9D =E2=80=93 owning a=20
devil=E2=80=99s tool (dinner fork), reading a sorcerer=E2=80=99s book or =
speaking in tongues=20
(foreign language), having a different faith, having the witch=E2=80=99s =
habit (taking a=20
bath or falling into a river), etc. =E2=80=93 from 10% to as many as 50% =
of the people=20
in Western Europe were tortured or put to death without trial during the =
medieval Roman Catholic Church=E2=80=99s 500-year Inquisition (12th to =
17th=20
centuries).

While most suffered, some profited handsomely. The Pope could declare =
anything =E2=80=9Cheresy,=E2=80=9D and use it as an excuse to legally =
rob, torture and kill his=20
enemies or anyone else accused. For over 300 years, inquisitors divided =
up the=20
property forfeited to them by suspected witches and heretics. Whoever =
denounced=20
you got 1/3 of your property, 1/3 went to the government and 1/3 went to =
the=20
Papal hierarchy.

This perverted prosecution-for-profit model, used almost exactly in =
the same=20
way today by state and federal drug Nazis =E2=80=93 and just as =
self-righteously, was=20
given to us at the insistence of President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and was =
written=20
for Congress by then Congressman Dan Lungren, once California Attorney =
General.=20
In actuality, once the government seizes a property, more than 90% are =
never=20
returned by the courts. Everyone from informant, to the police and the=20
prosecutor now share in the bounty of forfeited goods.

In fact, while British common law is the basis for our modern legal =
system,=20
forfeiture law relies on the medieval concept of the cursed object =
=E2=80=9CDeodand=E2=80=9D=20
(from the latin =E2=80=9Cdeo=E2=80=9D god, and =E2=80=9Cdand=E2=80=9D =
give; meaning that any object causing=20
human death was forfeited to the crown). This is the basis for American =
laws of=20
seizure and confiscation of property, rather than penalties only against =
persons. Why? Simple. People have guaranteed legal rights; property does =
not!